Wolverine Digest

Michigan Football: NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah raises Colston Loveland's stock, lowers Kennth Grants

Trent Knoop|
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's very likely Michigan football will have four first-round selections come April's 2025 NFL Draft. But where exactly will Mason Graham, Will Johnson, Colston Loveland, and Kenneth Grant go? That's the million(s) dollar question. With the combine concluded, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah published his new top-50 draft prospects.

Jeremiah might be more bullish on Loveland than others. The Michigan tight end is viewed as a top-20 pick by many, but Jeremiah has Loveland listed as his sixth-best prospect in this year's draft. Which is one spot higher than Jeremiah had Loveland ranked pre-combine,

Loveland led Michigan's woeful passing attack this past season catching 56 passes for 582 yards and five scores. Despite being listed as a tight end, Loveland is a vertical threat who could wreak havoc against NFL secondaries at the next level.

Loveland is a long, lean tight end with outstanding awareness, quickness and big-play ability. He has aligned in-line, as a wing and in the slot. He’s urgent in his release. He has a tremendous feel for option routes and working in space. He can cleanly get in/out of breaks and he presents a big target to the quarterback. He attacks the ball in the air and is adept at finishing in crowds. After the catch, he has a smooth stride and possesses a nasty stiff-arm. He has some wiggle to make defenders miss, as well. His lack of bulk impacts his ability to stay connected as a run blocker, though. Overall, Loveland is equipped to make a lot of catches as a starting tight end in his rookie campaign. 

Jeremiah gave Loveland's stock a rise, but defensive tackle Kenneth Grant took a fairly big drop. The draft analyst dropped Grant eight spots in his new top-50 and big tackle is now ranked 28th according to Jeremiah.

In 2024, for Michigan, Grant recorded 32 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and three sacks for the Wolverines' defense.

Grant is a massive defensive tackle with intriguing quickness and power. He’s very much a work in progress as a pass rusher. He flashes quick/violent hands to club/swim for wins, but far too often doesn’t have a plan and stalls out. He hasn’t learned to harness his strength to bull rush and consistently collapse the pocket. That should be at the top of his agenda this coming season. He’s a very dominant run defender. He easily holds the point of attack, despite playing with a high pad level. I love his effort and awareness to chase down screens. If you want to see what Grant is capable of, watch Michigan’s game against USC from the 2024 season. His upside was on full display that day. Unfortunately, he couldn’t bottle that performance during an up-and-down season. Overall, there is some assembly required, but his physical tools are very loud and worth the investment. 

Kenneth Gran
Melanie Maxwell / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Where is Mason Graham and Will Johnson

Jeremiah has Graham ranked slightly ahead of Loveland, ranking the All-American as the fifth-best prospect.

The NFL Draft analyst dropped the Michigan cornerback. Will Johnson dropped from No. 11 to No. 13. Jeremiah questions Johnson's speed and run support.

Johnson is a big cornerback with easy/fluid movement skills and excellent instincts. He played outside and in the slot at Michigan. In off coverage, he’s very smooth and relaxed. He doesn’t panic, settles on routes and can find/play the ball. He had an impressive flat-footed read against USC that he turned into a pick-six. He has the size/length to press and match up with bigger wideouts. The two issues that showed up in his 2024 game tape were inconsistency as a support player against the run and questions about his deep speed. He wasn’t ultra-aggressive to attack ball-carriers and he was run over multiple times. He can alleviate any concerns about his speed during athletic testing in the spring. Overall, Johnson isn’t a perfect player, but I do love his blend of size and ball skills. 

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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